Just one in five Londoners think Britain will be better off after Brexit

Londoners are gloomy about the prospects for post-Brexit Britain and 48 per cent expect the country to be economically worse off, according to polling commissioned by the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

Londoners are gloomy about the prospects for post-Brexit Britain and 48 per cent expect the country to be economically worse off, according to polling commissioned by the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

The poll, carried out by YouGov between 24 and 28 March, finds that 34 per cent think voting to leave was the right decision, with 53 per cent saying that it was the wrong decision. The total sample size was 1,042 adults living in London.

British jobs

When asked about the effect on British jobs, 44 per cent said Brexit will be bad for jobs, 19 per cent said it would be good for jobs, while 19 per cent said it would make no difference.

Asked about their own lives, 11 per cent of Londoners think they’ll be personally better off after Brexit. Meanwhile 36 per cent expect to be worse off, and 35 per cent think it won’t make a difference.

No sign of regrets

While Londoners are pessimistic about Brexit, few have changed their minds since the referendum.

Philip Cowley, Professor of Politics at QMUL and Director of the Mile End Institute said: “The statistics look stark because there are more remainers than leavers in London. Of those who voted to remain, 84 per cent think the decision to leave was wrong. Of those who voted to leave, 85 per cent think the decision to leave was right.

“There’s little sign of people changing their minds and scant evidence of ‘Bregret’ - people have mostly dug in."

Londoners are apprehensive about the effect of Brexit on the capital’s economy - 45 per cent think it will make the capital economically worse off. Just 15 per cent expect Brexit to have a positive effect on London’s economy, while 24 per cent think it will make no difference.

On immigration 43 per cent of Londoners said they expect less immigration into Britain post-Brexit. Just five per cent expect more immigration while 39 per cent expect it to make no difference.

The findings are the first instalment in Polling London, a new research project from QMUL. The project is led by Professor Philip Cowley, Director of QMUL’s Mile End Institute.

Fieldwork

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,042 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 24 and 28 March 2017. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all London adults (aged 18+). YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council and abide by their rules.